on PolicyMic
Jasper Zweibel Nooooooo! It's so good! I thought the Wachowski (formerly brothers) achieved their ambitions with resounding success. A smart dude once said, "What is good makes me fertile," meaning it makes you want to think and to write. In fertility terms, Cloud Atlas got me pregnant.
Jasper Zweibel The act of rape isn't ever funny, but jokes can always be funny. You can't judge a joke by its subject. If it's funny, it's worth telling. It's important not to assume that every joke about rape is born of insensitivity. Some are actually thought-provoking. Take for example the joke slogan: "Prevent Rape. Say Yes." The humor here is not the trivialization of rape, but rather a comment on the fact that in the eyes of the law, one word can mean the difference between a rape and a unpleasant sexual encounter. That's kind of absurd when you think about it, and pointing out absurdity in a pithy manner is a basic foundation of humor.
Jasper Zweibel What? I directly called out Obama on tariffs being bad despite producing nice stats like "1,000 saved jobs." I also made fun of his disregard for the actual questions on numerous occasions, and then even said in the end that I wasn't sure if he actually won or just set the bar really low for himself. Yeah I ripped on Romney a lot too, but If I seem biased against him, it's only because he was easier to lampoon tonight. Read my last debate blog if you want to see me get on the President's case.
Jasper Zweibel LoL, I see what you did there. For those who don't know, a little bit of rat poison every day is what the heart medication, Coumadin, really is. The big fat mafioso guy in Dumb and Dumber dies because they give him all his heart pills at once.
Jasper Zweibel I'm commenting on your article because what you're saying about sulfuric acid in corn syrup is nonsense, and it's not just a matter of semantics. Just because something is dangerous in pure/concentrated form does not mean it is at all harmful in the right dose or when mixed with the right things. It is completely ridiculous to suggest otherwise, especially if your goal is to educate. Honestly, it seems to me like your goal was to "shock," more than educate. For example, "52,000 food items" is a meaningless number that just sounds kinda big. The percentage of products containing HFCS would have been the much more relevant/educational statistic.
Jasper Zweibel I read it, but thanks for assuming! For the record though, I already knew that food can cause weight gain.
Jasper Zweibel That's EXACTLY what happens when you mix something harmful with something not harmful... it's called "dilution." Unless you're drinking pure distilled water, you take advantage of this phenomenon every single day.
Jasper Zweibel "If these are the symptoms which occur from swallowing pure sulfuric acid, one can only imagine its deleterious effects on the human body from consuming it in the form of high fructose corn syrup for months or years of time." You're joking right? Please tell me this is satire.
Jasper Zweibel The institution of the electoral college made the American Revolution less awesome than it could have been, but it was hardly "pointless." I never said anything about the merits of direct vs. indirect, just about the electoral college vs. common sense.
Jasper Zweibel p.s. I was 50% snark 50% serious. Obviously the right to vote is a just cause, but the right to vote in an electoral college system is certainly not.
Jasper Zweibel My "radical something" would be a voting strike. If enough people stopped voting, the president would have no mandate to govern and the need for a change would become apparent. Obviously I wish there were a cleaner way to reform the system, but the necessary amendment will never pass. I don't only make the decision I'm making because other people are voting. It's a happy accident that my decision to abstain is pragmatic as well as principled.
Jasper Zweibel Watch the video.
Jasper Zweibel Fighting and/or dying for a cause doesn't justify it, and I certainly don't think rebels are taking to the streets nations screaming, "Death to tyrants! Long live the electoral college!" People want to vote so badly so that their vote can actually count for something.
Jasper Zweibel Maybe pure democracy isn't ideal, but it's certainly better than a system which allows for someone to win 22% of the vote, and also fails to do one of the major things it was supposed to do, which is make candidates campaign/appeal to the entire nation. I cant remember the last time a candidate recalled "meeting with a family from New York City, who told me..." Campaigns only care about battleground states and appealing to the people in them under the current system.
Jasper Zweibel With the electoral college, we have had MORE than 50% of the population be unhappy thrice: 1876, 1888, and 2000.
Jasper Zweibel The idea was the if the electorate "screwed up" the electoral college (made up of learned citizens) would disregard their wishes and vote for the right candidate. We may not pick the best candidate every time, but the EC is only there to protect us from truly catastrophic choices.
Jasper Zweibel I disagree!
Jasper Zweibel It's my business when MY insurance premiums/taxes are paying for THEIR Triple Big-Mac Bypass. Health insurance exists to protect people from the unforeseen costs of things outside of their control, not to force healthy/responsible people to subsidize unhealthy excess. Also, I never said I was a liberal (I'm not), and I CERTAINLY never said that "Everyone needs health insurance." I like freedom. People should be free to eat whatever they want as long as I'm free to remain economically unburdened by their choices.
Jasper Zweibel I think I like where this is going. Smoking is already grounds for exclusion from even "guaranteed issue" health insurance, and I think the presence of the surgeon general's warning has a lot to do with that. Now that franchises have to list nutritional information, maybe overeating will become the new smoking in terms of obtaining health insurance. Good.
Jasper Zweibel Yes. Gladiator was a really special movie, definitely worthy of a "groundbreaking herald" nomination at the very least. It is by far the best example of how you can have a film built on filling seats with lengthy, big-budget fight scenes, yet still benefit tremendously from some outstanding performances delivered by great actors. There's also the classic story that's easily on par with any of the films I've seen from the current list. And Fight Club is just... awesome, in basically every regard. It's phenomenally well-acted, beautifully shot, engaging, insightful, clever, and just downright infectious. C'mon, man.
Jasper Zweibel Your paragraph about long waits at the bar makes it seem like tips, especially big tips, are more than just the "thank you for doing your job," that they are for a cab driver. If flashing/spending more cash gets you served faster, then that's just capitalism; you get what you pay for.
Jasper Zweibel Personally, I identify a lot more with the judges than the contestants. I don't really like cooking all that much, but I was a food critic in college so I enjoy imagining what would be good and critiquing the critiques. I don't think we need any more how-to cooking shows, and definitely not in primetime, there's already a surplus of them during the day.
Jasper Zweibel Thanks! I'd give it a .5/10. Yeah that's a point-five. It would be a zero, but I did manage to chuckle at one or two of the earlier instances of baffling film-making before it became wholly frustrating.
Jasper Zweibel Let's get a couple of things straight: 1. D-Wade was a draft pick for the Heat in 2003. 2. The Thunder went 23-59 four years ago, they didn't only win 23 games in a 4-year span. 3. The Thunder didn't even EXIST five years ago. New ownership stole the team from Seattle after making a good-faith promise not to hastily relocate. This article is an eye-opener: http://deadspin.com/5907371/howard-schultz-gave-out-350-starbucks-gift-cards-an-insiders-notes-on-the-shabby-death-of-the-seattle-supersonics 4. "Not having to prove themselves nearly as much" could not be further from the truth. The media has created a situation where every year LeBron doesn't win a title is a stain on his resume. No team in any sport is under more pressure to win.
Jasper Zweibel Fisher getting more rings than Kobe was really more of a "Fun Fact" than anything else. Still, I do think it'll rile up Kobe's blood just a little bit to see Fish win one without him, especially if it means getting passed in the record books.
on PolicyMic
Jasper Zweibel Nooooooo! It's so good! I thought the Wachowski (formerly brothers) achieved their ambitions with resounding success. A smart dude once said, "What is good makes me fertile," meaning it makes you want to think and to write. In fertility terms, Cloud Atlas got me pregnant.
Jasper Zweibel The act of rape isn't ever funny, but jokes can always be funny. You can't judge a joke by its subject. If it's funny, it's worth telling. It's important not to assume that every joke about rape is born of insensitivity. Some are actually thought-provoking. Take for example the joke slogan: "Prevent Rape. Say Yes." The humor here is not the trivialization of rape, but rather a comment on the fact that in the eyes of the law, one word can mean the difference between a rape and a unpleasant sexual encounter. That's kind of absurd when you think about it, and pointing out absurdity in a pithy manner is a basic foundation of humor.
Jasper Zweibel What? I directly called out Obama on tariffs being bad despite producing nice stats like "1,000 saved jobs." I also made fun of his disregard for the actual questions on numerous occasions, and then even said in the end that I wasn't sure if he actually won or just set the bar really low for himself. Yeah I ripped on Romney a lot too, but If I seem biased against him, it's only because he was easier to lampoon tonight. Read my last debate blog if you want to see me get on the President's case.
Jasper Zweibel LoL, I see what you did there. For those who don't know, a little bit of rat poison every day is what the heart medication, Coumadin, really is. The big fat mafioso guy in Dumb and Dumber dies because they give him all his heart pills at once.
Jasper Zweibel I'm commenting on your article because what you're saying about sulfuric acid in corn syrup is nonsense, and it's not just a matter of semantics. Just because something is dangerous in pure/concentrated form does not mean it is at all harmful in the right dose or when mixed with the right things. It is completely ridiculous to suggest otherwise, especially if your goal is to educate. Honestly, it seems to me like your goal was to "shock," more than educate. For example, "52,000 food items" is a meaningless number that just sounds kinda big. The percentage of products containing HFCS would have been the much more relevant/educational statistic.
Jasper Zweibel I read it, but thanks for assuming! For the record though, I already knew that food can cause weight gain.
Jasper Zweibel That's EXACTLY what happens when you mix something harmful with something not harmful... it's called "dilution." Unless you're drinking pure distilled water, you take advantage of this phenomenon every single day.
Jasper Zweibel "If these are the symptoms which occur from swallowing pure sulfuric acid, one can only imagine its deleterious effects on the human body from consuming it in the form of high fructose corn syrup for months or years of time." You're joking right? Please tell me this is satire.
Jasper Zweibel The institution of the electoral college made the American Revolution less awesome than it could have been, but it was hardly "pointless." I never said anything about the merits of direct vs. indirect, just about the electoral college vs. common sense.
Jasper Zweibel p.s. I was 50% snark 50% serious. Obviously the right to vote is a just cause, but the right to vote in an electoral college system is certainly not.
Jasper Zweibel My "radical something" would be a voting strike. If enough people stopped voting, the president would have no mandate to govern and the need for a change would become apparent. Obviously I wish there were a cleaner way to reform the system, but the necessary amendment will never pass. I don't only make the decision I'm making because other people are voting. It's a happy accident that my decision to abstain is pragmatic as well as principled.
Jasper Zweibel Watch the video.
Jasper Zweibel Fighting and/or dying for a cause doesn't justify it, and I certainly don't think rebels are taking to the streets nations screaming, "Death to tyrants! Long live the electoral college!" People want to vote so badly so that their vote can actually count for something.
Jasper Zweibel Maybe pure democracy isn't ideal, but it's certainly better than a system which allows for someone to win 22% of the vote, and also fails to do one of the major things it was supposed to do, which is make candidates campaign/appeal to the entire nation. I cant remember the last time a candidate recalled "meeting with a family from New York City, who told me..." Campaigns only care about battleground states and appealing to the people in them under the current system.
Jasper Zweibel With the electoral college, we have had MORE than 50% of the population be unhappy thrice: 1876, 1888, and 2000.
Jasper Zweibel The idea was the if the electorate "screwed up" the electoral college (made up of learned citizens) would disregard their wishes and vote for the right candidate. We may not pick the best candidate every time, but the EC is only there to protect us from truly catastrophic choices.
Jasper Zweibel I disagree!
Jasper Zweibel It's my business when MY insurance premiums/taxes are paying for THEIR Triple Big-Mac Bypass. Health insurance exists to protect people from the unforeseen costs of things outside of their control, not to force healthy/responsible people to subsidize unhealthy excess. Also, I never said I was a liberal (I'm not), and I CERTAINLY never said that "Everyone needs health insurance." I like freedom. People should be free to eat whatever they want as long as I'm free to remain economically unburdened by their choices.
Jasper Zweibel I think I like where this is going. Smoking is already grounds for exclusion from even "guaranteed issue" health insurance, and I think the presence of the surgeon general's warning has a lot to do with that. Now that franchises have to list nutritional information, maybe overeating will become the new smoking in terms of obtaining health insurance. Good.
Jasper Zweibel Yes. Gladiator was a really special movie, definitely worthy of a "groundbreaking herald" nomination at the very least. It is by far the best example of how you can have a film built on filling seats with lengthy, big-budget fight scenes, yet still benefit tremendously from some outstanding performances delivered by great actors. There's also the classic story that's easily on par with any of the films I've seen from the current list. And Fight Club is just... awesome, in basically every regard. It's phenomenally well-acted, beautifully shot, engaging, insightful, clever, and just downright infectious. C'mon, man.
Jasper Zweibel Your paragraph about long waits at the bar makes it seem like tips, especially big tips, are more than just the "thank you for doing your job," that they are for a cab driver. If flashing/spending more cash gets you served faster, then that's just capitalism; you get what you pay for.
Jasper Zweibel Personally, I identify a lot more with the judges than the contestants. I don't really like cooking all that much, but I was a food critic in college so I enjoy imagining what would be good and critiquing the critiques. I don't think we need any more how-to cooking shows, and definitely not in primetime, there's already a surplus of them during the day.
Jasper Zweibel Thanks! I'd give it a .5/10. Yeah that's a point-five. It would be a zero, but I did manage to chuckle at one or two of the earlier instances of baffling film-making before it became wholly frustrating.
Jasper Zweibel Let's get a couple of things straight: 1. D-Wade was a draft pick for the Heat in 2003. 2. The Thunder went 23-59 four years ago, they didn't only win 23 games in a 4-year span. 3. The Thunder didn't even EXIST five years ago. New ownership stole the team from Seattle after making a good-faith promise not to hastily relocate. This article is an eye-opener: http://deadspin.com/5907371/howard-schultz-gave-out-350-starbucks-gift-cards-an-insiders-notes-on-the-shabby-death-of-the-seattle-supersonics 4. "Not having to prove themselves nearly as much" could not be further from the truth. The media has created a situation where every year LeBron doesn't win a title is a stain on his resume. No team in any sport is under more pressure to win.
Jasper Zweibel Fisher getting more rings than Kobe was really more of a "Fun Fact" than anything else. Still, I do think it'll rile up Kobe's blood just a little bit to see Fish win one without him, especially if it means getting passed in the record books.